In literature there are a myriad of genres, within these genres is a form of witting known as autobiographies and biographies. It can be argued that a biography is an extension of autobiographical writing. As an autobiography is a form of writing in which an individual shares their personal life events written through a first person perspective (S). While a biography recounts an individual’s life story through a third person perspective – an individual’s/group’s story written by someone who is not the subject of the writing – “based on facts collected by the author” (S). It seems that the genres share similar purpose, to inform, however autobiographies “express” (S) personal experiences. Arguably autobiographies are written to pass on messages, heritage, to share experiences or preserve history, and written as a form of “closure” (Autobiography). Today, many contributions have been made to this form of literature, which I will argue come in different forms and not simply in the pages of a paper back or hard cover novel.
Sites such as blogs, websites, social media share the stories of people from all around the world. These sources express and share different meanings for each and every individual and in different ways contribute to the pool of literature known as autobiographical and biographical narratives. I would like to argue that the site and Facebook page known as Humans of New York (HONY) demonstrates the characteristics of both forms of genre (autobiographies and biographies). HONY began as a “photography project” (Stanton) in 2010 by Brandon Staton with an “initial goal [to] photograph 10,000 New Yorkers on the streets” (Stanton). However, Stanton wanted to become a photographer previous to starting the HONY Facebook page. He begun uploading his files to a Facebook page he called the Humans of New York and as the page gained popularity he began interviewing his subjects, and putting quotes or parts of their stories with their pictures (Stanton). He hopes to maintain a “culture of positivity” (Stanton) through his project.
Why does HONY need to be analyzed as part of the two genres expressed above? The field of autobiography and biography is vast; it does not simply need to contain what can be found on the shelves of libraries, but as the world has modernized, stories can be shared through a number of ways. HONY is a form of autobiographical narrative, because the individuals he interviews are the authors of their own stories, but it also exhibits the characteristics of a biography as Brandon Stanton delivers them to the public through HONY. The stories and quotes next to the portraits on his website and Facebook page are in first person – characteristics of an autobiography as explained above – but I think because Stanton is the one who makes these stories available to the public eye, is what makes them biographies. However, the question still remains: whether HONY is or is not either or is a form of both genres? A question more based on different perspectives rather than facts.
Works Cited
“Autobiography.” Autobiography, accounts.smccd.edu/saterfield/Psyc100_03/autobiograhy.html. Accessed 24 Feb. 2017.
S, Surbhi. “Difference between Biography and Autobiography (with Comparison Chart).” Key Differences, 12 Nov. 2016, keydifferences.com/difference-between-biography-and-autobiography.html. Accessed 24 Feb. 2017.
Stanton, Brandon. “Humans of New York.” Humans of New York, Nov. 2010, www.humansofnewyork.com/. Accessed 24 Feb. 2017.
